Why is collaboration important? At Low Carbon Hub, we aim to accelerate the transition to the zero carbon energy system that we need for the future, providing electricity, heat and a clean transport system, all powered by renewables. Transitioning a whole energy system is really complex and it needs to be done in a way…

Energy prices are soaring and are set to rise even further in the coming months. This is a concern for homeowners and businesses across the UK as people are battling with their energy bills. There is also growing alarm at the impact of the global climate crisis, with extreme weather events becoming more common with…

Our Solar PV array at Norbar Torque Tools Ltd has trebled in size! Almost exactly seven years after the installation of our first solar PV array, we have completed an extension to the rooftop solar PV array at Norbar Torque Tools Ltd, trebling its size from 250 kWp to 778 kWp making it our second…

Low Carbon Hub named a finalist in two of the prestigious UK Social Enterprise Awards, which recognise businesses that are transforming communities and tackling climate change. We are excited to share that we have been shortlisted for two UK Social Enterprise Awards, recognising Low Carbon Hub as one of the UK’s most effective social enterprises.…

Earlier this year, the Vale of White Horse District Council invited community groups to apply for funding from its Climate Action Fund of £50,000 for projects that help to address climate change at a local level. Thirteen projects across the district were successful. Several Low Carbon Hub Community group members had successful bids, including: Sustainable…

We are proud to announce that Sustainable Didcot is our August 2022 community group member of the month. Sustainable Didcot is a community action group for Didcot residents with a shared interest in the environment, living sustainably and raising awareness of climate change. The group began life in 2010, initially as a swap shop to…

Low Carbon Hub engages with young people through various projects, events, and services. Happy International Youth Day! Here we have brought together our youth-focused Low Carbon Hub resources and programmes. Young people have been calling for climate action for a long time, here’s what we are doing to support our future climate leaders: Resources Here…

On 11 July I attended the first (hopefully of many) Green Futures Conference for 14-18 year olds, held at Hill End Outdoor Learning Centre to deliver a workshop on ‘how communities are investing in community energy’. The realities of our unstable climate system is an awful scenario for today’s teenagers and many of them are…

Would you like to put your marketing and communications expertise to good use in an award-winning organisation? Join our team helping to develop an energy system that’s good for people and good for the planet. Low Carbon Hub is recruiting a Marketing and Communications Manager (maternity cover). This is a fantastic opportunity for a skilled…

Barford Environment Network, based in North Oxfordshire, is the Low Carbon Hub’s 41st community group member!  Barford Environment Network (BEN) formed in October 2021, inspired by the work of neighbouring Low Carbon Hub community group, Deddington Environment Network (DEN). The group aims to raise awareness of sustainable initiatives and funding opportunities that will enable the transition to…

The results are in for our 2022 ‘How are we doing?’ survey and they show that people continue to trust in our expertise around local, renewable energy and low carbon. The main results continue to be positive, with scores continuing to be high and good feedback. We’re really pleased that our investor members, community groups,…

Our Action on Carbon and Energy in Schools (ACES) programme launches to help schools cut energy use and save money on their energy bills. We have launched a new energy efficiency support service to help Oxfordshire schools reduce their energy demand, cut carbon emissions, and reduce their energy bills by supporting them to improve the…

This week (2-8 July) is the UK’s national awareness week for Net Zero.  To mark the occasion, we want to de-mystify some of the language around net zero, to distinguish between the sometimes-confusing terminology and establish what is the difference between net zero, carbon neutral, and carbon positive? Beyond this, we will also explore what is…

Sustainable Woodstock formed in 2008 with the aim of bringing their community together to identify actions that could be taken to reduce the carbon footprint of Woodstock. This has been achieved by running successful working groups, which involve the whole community, that raise awareness of the climate and ecological emergency. The group focus on energy…

Everyone should be able to live with dignity in warm, safe housing and if we want to reduce the threat of climate change we need to address energy use in our homes and businesses. When you think about the transition needed to move away from polluting fossil fuels the image of a wind turbine or…

On Saturday 21 May we celebrated 10 years of partnership between the Low Carbon Hub and our 40 community group members in the atmospheric surroundings of the Story Museum, Oxford. The event was designed to be creative and celebratory and the Woodshed Theatre at the Story Museum was decorated to feel welcoming and festive. It…

We are pleased to announce that Cholsey Environment Champions are our Community Group of the Month for June 2022 Cholsey Parish Council declared a Climate and Environmental Emergency in 2019 and then set up a Climate and Environmental Emergency Working Group. They have appointed an Environmental Coordinator and surveyed the community to find out their biggest concerns…

The Low Carbon Hub turned 10 in December 2021. To celebrate this achievement, we’re going to be looking back at our key milestones and moments from the past decade and sharing them with you over the course of 2022. We’ve already started in our monthly newsletter, and so if you haven’t already subscribed you can…

Oxfordshire environmental groups and local councils cooperate to address the energy price crisis. All over Oxfordshire people are struggling to pay their energy bills. But so many homes are so poorly insulated that around a quarter of the energy we pay for is simply wasted. Much of that energy still comes from fossil fuels so…

To round up the Clean Air month of May we wanted to share some thoughts on the relationship between clean air and clean energy. But first of all, what is clean energy exactly? Like our air, clean energy is the standard we are striving towards. Clean energy is energy that comes from renewable, zero emission…

Promoting Cycling in Abingdon May 2022 Low Carbon Hub were pleased to award a small grant of £500 to Abingdon Carbon Cutters for an imaginative project that aims to involve young people in an initiative to promote cycling and active travel in Abingdon. Our Community Grant Fund offers financial support for community energy activities across…

The Energy Systems Accelerator (mini-TESA) pilot officially launched yesterday (Thursday 26 May) as a cross-sector, progressive co-working space for a just energy transition in the heart of Oxford. What is mini-TESA? Mini-TESA is a world-leading multi-disciplinary hub and co-working space, championing green innovation.  This 100-person building co-locates the Low Carbon Hub with University of Oxford…

We welcome our 40th community group member at Low Carbon Hub! We are really pleased to welcome our newest community group – Sustainable Botley – who are joining our existing 39 community group members from across Oxfordshire, to bring our total membership to 40. Sustainable Botley is a newly formed community group that recognises the…

We celebrate our tenth year in operation this year, and we would like to celebrate with you. Gallery Here you’ll find some photos celebrating some excellent moments over the years, from launching community energy share offers, installing rooftop solar PV on school roofs, to taking part in ground-breaking collaborations such as Project LEO. We couldn’t…

Low Carbon Oxford North (LCON) & Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel (CoHSAT) awarded a large grant of £5,000 from Low Carbon Hub Community Grant Fund. Low Carbon Hub were pleased to award a third consecutive large grant of £5000 to Low Carbon Oxford North and a consortium of community groups that form the…

Our community group of the month feature is one year old this month and we are celebrating with Abingdon Carbon Cutters as our May 2022 Community Group of the Month. Abingdon Carbon Cutters are a long-standing environmental group that started in 2008 as one of Oxfordshire’s Community Action Groups. They formed during a time of…

Work is fast approaching completion at our first ever ground mount solar park at Ray Valley Solar. Most of the 35,000 solar panels, 1.3 km at the longest point, have been installed on site with an expected completion date of late April. Bringing Ray Valley Solar online will result in a five-fold increase in the…

We are delighted to announce that we have awarded large grants this year to three fantastic community projects: Sustainable Wantage for Equipping Children for Cycling Mobility Thame Green Living for Thame Electric Vehicle Hire Club Low Carbon Oxford North, Rose Hill & Iffley Low Carbon and Communities for Zero Carbon Oxford for Eco Homes Oxford.…

We are delighted to welcome Greener Henley as our April 2022 Community Group of the Month. Greener Henley is a group of committed volunteers from a range of backgrounds that all share the common aim of working together to help build a greener, zero-carbon future for Henley and the surrounding villages. The group started out…

At the launch of the latest Climate Report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) , the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said “Now it’s time to stop burning our planet and start investing in abundant renewable energy all around us.” The report is a stark reminder of the need to take urgent action…

Our annual ‘How are we doing?’ survey is now live. Your feedback is vital in making sure we’re doing as much as we can to meet our mission of creating an energy system that’s good for the planet, and for people. We always want to be improving our work, and how we communicate it with…

British Science Week is a ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths that will take place between 11-20 March 2022. British Science Week, run by the British Science Association, is a ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths. The festival features entertaining and engaging events and activities across the UK for people of all…

We are delighted to announce that our Community Group of the Month for March 2022 is Low Carbon Oxford North. Low Carbon Oxford North (LCON) were established as a community action group in 2010 with the aim of cutting carbon emissions through local activity. They became a registered charity in 2011 and launched Oxford North…

2021-2022 has been a bumper year for Low Carbon Hub’s Community Grants Programme and we’re delighted to announce that we have awarded a total of 14 small grants of £500 each to community groups supporting seven great projects. The grants are made by the Low Carbon Hub IPS Limited as part of its community benefit…

UNESCO created World Book Day on 23 April 1995 as a worldwide celebration of books and reading. The first World Book Day in the UK and Ireland took place in 1997 to encourage young people to discover the pleasure of reading. “We wanted to do something to reposition reading, and our message is the same today…

Would you be interested in funded support to help progress energy efficiency and renewable installation plans at your organisation? Energy Solutions Oxfordshire can provide several days of fully funded support to help you reduce your energy bills and cut the carbon emissions from buildings in Oxfordshire. The funding is available up to June 2022 and…

The Rose Hill Smart and Fair Neighbourhood Trial has launched the next stage of its project with the Local Area Energy Mapping survey, known as ‘LEMAP’. The survey asks people questions about their home and energy use and is currently only available for people living in the Rose Hill project boundary (pictured below). If you…

Fairtrade Fortnight is an annual promotional campaign organised and funded by the Fairtrade Foundation to increase awareness of Fairtrade and Fairtrade products. Two weeks every year, thousands of individuals, companies, and groups across the UK come together to share the stories of the people who grow our food, mine our gold, and grow the cotton in our…

We are delighted to announce that Watlington Community Action Group (CAG) is our  Community Group of the Month for February 2022! Watlington Climate Action Group was founded in April 2019 and started life as a Facebook community group, with the aim of helping Watlington to address the Climate Emergency. They became a member of Low…

UK schools could reduce energy costs by £44 million per year, which means they have the power to prevent 625,000 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. Schools can play a critical role in helping the UK cut carbon emission levels, and even the most minor actions can have a big difference. Young people have…

Fantastic opportunity for skilled communicator to put your experience to good use. Join our team helping to develop an energy system that’s good for people and good for the planet. The Low Carbon Hub is looking for a Marketing and Communications Coordinator to support the development and delivery of campaigns, manage our social media accounts,…

Get involved with climate action in Oxfordshire! We often get questions from people who want to get involved in tackling climate change in Oxfordshire. Unfortunately, as a small organisation we aren’t always in a position to take on volunteers or staff at the Low Carbon Hub, so we’re limited in the ways you can be…

Happy new year from everybody at the Low Carbon Hub! Climate action in Oxfordshire Three years ago, in January 2019, the Oxford City Council officially declared a climate emergency in Oxford. In April, they announced the UK’s first citizens assembly to address the climate crisis within Oxford. This citizens assembly was held over two weekends…

We are delighted to announce that Osney lock Hydro is our  First Community Group of the Month for 2022! Osney Lock Hydro is the first community-owned hydro scheme to be built on the Thames. Set on the banks of the river Thames at Osney Lock, opposite the site of Oxford’s first electrical power station, it…

As 2021 comes to a close, we wanted to reflect on the highlights of the year in our work with our communities. Community groups continued to flourish despite the pandemic Community coffee mornings continued We held our first Low Carbon Hub community coffee morning of 2021 on Tuesday 23 February and discussed the challenges and…

As 2021 comes to a close, we wanted to reflect on our Hub highlights of the year for our key programmes. Project LEO Project LEO (Local Energy Oxfordshire) is an ambitious, wide-ranging and innovative trial, seeking to accelerate the UK’s transition to a zero-carbon energy system. This year the 10 partner consortium made some great…

As 2021 comes to a close, we wanted to reflect on our Hub highlights of the year – it’s been another unconventional one! We celebrated £3 million invested in the Community Energy Fund We met our target of raising £3 million of new investment into the Community Energy Fund ahead of the 31 March 31.…

The ‘Solar Saver’ offer is part of the Rose Hill Smart and Fair Neighbourhood Trial (SFN) being run as part of Project LEO (Local Energy Oxfordshire). The trial is offering residents of the new build flats in Rose Hill the opportunity to save money on their energy bills by shifting when they use electricity in…

Whether you live in a city, town or village in Oxfordshire, the Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel (CoHSAT) want to know what amenities you consider most important to have within a 15 minute walk or cycle ride. The concept of a 15-minute neighbourhood (15MN) is that the amenities that are most important to…

Post by Gina Moran, Low Carbon Hub Intern, and author of Best Social and Environmental Practice Guidance for Ray Valley Solar. Over the summer of 2021, I was lucky enough to spend a week working with the Low Carbon Hub. I was retained as a Sustainable Research Intern in advance of the construction of Ray…

We are delighted to announce that Greener Great Coxwell is our  Community Group of the Month for December 2021! Greener Great Coxwell formed earlier this year and have already brought several carbon reducing initiatives to their beautiful village. They are one of the Hub’s most recent members and we were impressed by their ambitious plans…

We’re really pleased to announce that we’ve been invited to join an exciting and innovative new workplace: The Energy Systems Accelerator pilot – better known as Mini TESA – to be based at Holywell House at Osney Mead in Oxford.  This is a world-leading multi-disciplinary hub and co-working space, championing green innovation. It is a…

Press release by Smarter Grid Solutions Partnership between Smarter Grid Solutions and the Low Carbon Hub demonstrates potential of community energy A primary school in Oxfordshire could pave the way to greater sustainability and cost-savings in schools nationwide thanks to a one-of-a-kind trial of green energy storage on school grounds. The trial brings together clean energy…

Low Carbon Hub’s Smart Energy Systems Director Mairi Brookes recently appeared on the Smarter Grid Solutions podcast “Smart Grid Energy Transition”. Not only do we discover what launched Mairi’s career in energy and working towards climate solutions (for which we at the Hub are very grateful), we also hear her views on our extensive innovation…

One week ago, the finishing touches were being made on the final COP26 agreement. The frantic final hours of COP26 were a distinct contrast to the carefully choreographed first days. A series of tense huddles that took place more than 24 hours into overtime finally produced the Glasgow Climate Pact that all countries were happy…

The most significant climate conference in the world may be over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t catch up with the many events that took place over the two weeks. If you missed it, our CEO Barbara Hammond took part in a panel event: ‘How communities can coordinate and collaborate to play a more active…

Word of the day: Local After Wednesday away from the Blue Zone, I was ready to get back to the hustle and bustle of the pavilions. Thursday’s theme was Cities, Regions and Built Environment. Around COP26, the day was also referred to as local authority/local government day, emphasising how local governments can work with communities…

Word of the day: Communities Today was a little different for me. After a couple of long days in the Blue Zone, I was keen to get out in Glasgow and attend one of the many fringe events. There are a huge number of fringe events taking place over the two weeks of COP26, and,…

Word of the day: Accountability  Momentum has been building throughout the first week with a flurry of press releases, announcements, and commitments made from multiple countries on deforestation, methane and coal. All of this has been very positive. However, a new report out today from Climate Action Tracker (CAT), the world’s most respected climate analysis…

Word of the day: Resilience  The second week of COP26 started under grey Glasgow skies on Monday. The weather didn’t improve, unfortunately, but the day did! After starting with a couple of hours queueing to get in and then registering, just getting into the coveted Blue Zone felt like an achievement. It is a vast…

Tomorrow (Thursday 4 November) afternoon, our CEO Barbara Hammond will be taking part in a panel event: ‘How communities can co-ordinate and collaborate to play a more active role in the future energy system’. The session will look at the critical role communities will play in the transition to net zero.  You can join the event…

We need both local action and global collaboration if we are going to stop run away climate change.  This Tuesday at COP26 three Project LEO partners, including Low Carbon Hub, are joining forces with organisations around the globe to announce a partnership to foster international collaboration on smart local energy grids.  You can join us live…

We are delighted to announce that Low Carbon West Oxford (LCWO) is our  Community Group of the Month for November 2021! Low Carbon West Oxford are an energetic group with a creative and inclusive approach to community activity. They play an important role in highlighting the need to live more sustainably in the community of…

With wholesale energy prices soaring, becoming more flexible about the way we use energy could be an increasingly powerful tool helping keep our fuel bills under control.  The global surge in gas prices has left UK consumers particularly vulnerable, with over a third of our electricity provided by gas-fuelled power stations. Households and businesses face…

Led by a powerful coalition of sustainability organisations, Let’s Go Zero is uniting and supporting UK schools working to become zero carbon by 2030. In October 2020, charities including Ashden, Global Action Plan and the Fairtrade Foundation teamed up to launch a new initiative helping UK schools transition to net-zero. The ‘Let’s Go Zero’ initiative provides schools…

We are delighted to announce that Banabury CAG is our  Community Group of the Month for October 2021! Despite the challenges of the pandemic Banbury CAG have continued to raise awareness of climate change and to provide solutions to the crisis in their community. They continued to meet on a monthly basis by zoom and…

An interactive workshop hosted by Low Carbon Hub during Great Big Green Week 21 September 10.30am. The climate crisis is an emotional subject and discussions in our everyday lives with family members, friends, colleagues and strangers, who all have different opinions on climate change can sometimes be difficult to initiate and sustain. As a result…

We are really pleased to announce the publication of our 2021 Social Impact Report. Every year we publish a round-up of the contribution we have made during the past financial year towards the creation of an energy system that is good for people and good for the planet. 2020/21 was a record-breaking year, with: 4.3…

In September communities across the country will join together for the Great Big Green Week. It will be the biggest event for climate and nature ever in the UK, and everyone’s invited! Great Big Green Week The Great Big Green Week will take place 18 – 26 September 2021, and will be the largest event…

The results are in for our 2021 ‘How are we doing?’ survey and they show that people continue to trust in our expertise around local, renewable energy and low carbon. Our respondents also continue to perceive us to be committed to the creation of a low carbon, locally owned renewable energy system. We’re really pleased…

Fantastic opportunity to put your marketing experience to good use. Join our team helping to develop an energy system that’s good for people and good for the planet.  The Low Carbon Hub is recruiting a Marketing and Communications Coordinator to support the development and delivery of marketing campaigns for key carbon reducing programmes. It’s an…

We are looking to recruit a new role: a Smart Energy Systems Trial Manager to join the team to facilitate our participation and deliver our objectives in the Project LEO energy trials. We are using our portfolio of nearly 50 local energy generation and storage assets in the trials. We’re looking for someone with strong project…

We are delighted to announce that GREEN TEA (TRANSITION EYNSHAM AREA) is our  Community Group of the Month for September 2021! Green TEA (Transition Eynsham Area) is a vibrant and dedicated group that has been finding local solutions to climate change for twelve years. They are part of the Transition Network, a grassroots movement that…

We are pleased to announce the publication of our 2021 Annual Performance Summaries. Each year we produce an Annual Performance Summary for our previous share offers, giving an insight into the latest financial, social, and environmental performance of your investment(s). This has been a year of adapting, as the Covid-19 pandemic has meant our staff…

We are delighted to announce the addition of four new community groups bringing our total community membership to 36! At the Low Carbon Hub, we work with community groups across Oxfordshire which have a focus on low carbon and sustainability actions. Many of these groups join the Low Carbon Hub and become CIC (Community Interest…

A short film about the Tree Planting and Community Orchard project from Rose Hill & Iffley Low Carbon. The film was made with a Small Grant of £500 from Low Carbon Hub Community Grants Fund. Low Carbon Hub were delighted to award Rose Hill & Iffley Low Carbon (RHILC) a small grant of £500 in…

We are very excited to announce the launch of Project LEO’s new website. A few months of work in the making, we are delighted to share with you the new site, which is easier to navigate, more user friendly and has a lot more information about the Project! Our goal with this new website is…

We are delighted to announce we have received £5,000 of investment into the Community Energy Fund from the Lord Mayor’s Charity Trust. During former Lord Mayor Craig Simmons’ term as Mayor (2019-21), Oxford City Council declared a climate emergency and Craig was really focused on how the city could play its part in the face…

We are delighted to announce that Thame Green Living is our  Community Group of the Month for July 2021! Thame Green Living are one of the Low Carbon Hub’s most recent groups but they have lost no time in carrying out impressive town-wide actions on climate change identified in their extensive and strikingly designed Green…

We’re delighted to announce that Oxford City Council has provided funding of nearly £3.4m towards the development of our first ever ground mount solar park at Ray Valley Solar, near Bicester.  Last week, at its Cabinet meeting, the Oxford City Council agreed to commit funding over a lifetime of 22.5 years to support the development of the…

Our community group of the month for June 2021 is Rose hill and iffley low carbon, otherwise known as rhilc! RHILC are a thriving group who have an inclusive approach to tackling climate change and always strive to involve the whole community in their activities. They have responded positively to the changing situation brought about…

We’re really pleased to announce that Triodos Bank will provide a loan to help fund the construction of Ray Valley Solar, our first ground mount solar park.  Triodos Bank UK has approved a new loan facility to go toward the construction of the project this year. Further lending will also be made available for its operation, with…

On Wednesday, 12 May, the Energy Collaborate meetings re-launched with a collaboration between CAG and Low Carbon Hub. Energy in your community, what’s possible? Low Carbon Hub and the CAG Network were pleased to restart their Energy Collaborate meetings last month to learn more about how we can support our community groups and individuals with…

Last month, Low Carbon Hub Operations Manager, Harry Orchard, carried out several Minimum Viable System (MVS) trials at Sandford Hydro as part of Project LEO. What is a Minimum Viable System trial? A Minimum Viable System is the minimum set of participants, technologies and practices required to test a new process, service, or asset. Referred…

We are delighted to announce that Sustainable Wantage is our first Community Group of the Month for May 2021. They are a vibrant group with a creative and inclusive approach to community activity and have been quick to respond positively to the changing situation brought about by Covid-19 restrictions. Their initiatives have not only saved…

We’re two years into Cosy Homes Oxfordshire, and we’ve learnt a lot about launching a whole house retrofit service For the past two years the Low Carbon Hub has been the lead project partner on Cosy Homes Oxfordshire, developing a one-stop whole house retrofit service to offer homeowners a simple way to reduce the carbon…

On Earth Day 2021 we are excited to announce that we are partnering with Good Food Oxford and Oxfordshire Greentech (Oxfordshire’s low-carbon business network) for the third year of the Switch Up Your Lunch (SUYL) campaign. As part of Oxfordshire’s ongoing action on climate change, we are joining Women in Sustainability, and the national Veg Cities campaign. To encourage…

Our Community Grant Fund offers financial support for carbon cutting activities across Oxfordshire. All Community Members of the Low Carbon CIC can apply for a small or large grant that can be used to fund activities that contribute to the Hub’s aims: to cut Oxfordshire’s carbon footprint and contribute to creating a decentralised and locally-owned…

Oxford City Council are offering free solar panels to a local community project Oxford City Council have 42 solar panels (350 watts) and an inverter which they are now no longer able to use. They’re hoping to find a new home for them and so are looking for a local community project which could make…

We are delighted to report that we signed the construction contract for Ray Valley Solar ground mount solar park last month, and the project is due to be completed in September 2021. Ray Valley Solar will generate over 18GWh  of clean electricity each year, enough to power over 6,000 homes. Read more about the project…

We are pleased to announce the awarding of five Low Carbon Hub small grants of £500 each. All Community Members of the Low Carbon Hub CIC are eligible to apply for funding. Our community groups can either apply individually or in consortia with other Community shareholders. The grants can be used to fund activities that…

We held our first Low Carbon Hub community coffee morning of 2021 on Tuesday 23 February and discussed the challenges and rewards of running a successful community group. Setting up and running a community group takes a lot of work, coordination and enthusiasm. It can be time consuming and frustrating but inspiring and wonderful when…

We are really pleased to announce that we have now met our target of raising £3 million of new investment into the Community Energy Fund. Thank you so much to everyone who has invested, putting their money to work tackling climate change.  We have been absolutely blown away by the level of support this share…

We’re really pleased to announce that MCS Charitable Foundation – an independent UK charity seeking to accelerate the widespread adoption of renewable energy and low carbon technologies – has invested £50,000 into our 2021 Community Energy Fund share offer. This investment has been made alongside mostly individual investors and will help us to reach our…

Cosy Homes Oxfordshire‘s whole house retrofit service launched almost two years ago, with the Low Carbon Hub as lead project partner. During that time, we’ve made many learnings about working in the home retrofit sector, but our biggest barrier has always been finding enough trusted and high-quality contractors to deliver home retrofit projects in Oxfordshire…

We are thrilled to announce that we are extending the target for our share raise for the second time after reaching our updated goal of £2.5 million. We made the first extension after hitting our initial target of £1.5 million in record time of just nine weeks. A flurry of new investment followed, and we…

We are looking to recruit a Chief Technical Officer (CTO) to lead on devising and delivering our strategy for a zero carbon energy system at the local level. Our goal is clear: a zero-carbon energy system by 2050. We see our role as catalysts of innovation and our ethos is being community focused, collaborative and…

Low carbon community group Sustainable Charlbury successfully applied for a £5000 large grant from Low Carbon Hub’s 2020 Community Grant programme to assess the energy efficiency and heat loss of a group of homes in Charlbury. The tests on The Green are part of a much bigger, long term project to build up a picture…

We’re delighted to announce that we met our £1.5 million of new investment into the Community Energy Fund in record time in just nine weeks. Thank you to everyone who has invested in the Community Energy Fund so far and has shown their support for community energy and putting their money to work tackling climate…

In our latest blog, our Social Impact Director Saskya Huggins makes the case that putting fairness at the heart of a net-zero energy system is not only the right thing to do, but is the most effective way to achieve the mass engagement we need to achieve our 2050 commitments. The UK Government published its…

As 2020 comes to a close, we wanted to reflect on our Hub highlights of the year – it’s been an unconventional one! Community Energy Fund 2020 We re-opened our Community Energy Fund for 2020 early in the year, welcoming over 300 new investors and raising a huge £1.5 million, which is already supporting community energy…

Investing in the Low Carbon Hub’s Community Energy Fund means your money is being put to work accelerating the transition to an energy system that’s fossil fuel free. Watch our animation explaining the powerful feedback loop we’ve created that makes every pound you invest go further. It’s thanks to our thousand strong investor members that…

You may have seen that two weeks ago our Community Energy Fund 2021 opened for investment. By the end of 2021 we need to raise £3 million to strengthen and grow clean, renewable energy generation in Oxfordshire. We have an initial target raise of £1.5 million by 31 March 2021, which thanks to all the…

Earlier this year we ran a series of webinars, discussing the future of energy and our work at the Low Carbon Hub to create an energy system, which is good for people and for the planet, in Oxfordshire and beyond. We are delighted to announce the launch of our next Low Carbon Hub webinar series…

Our Community Energy Fund has now re-opened for new investment. With your help, we can make an energy system that works for all of us, and for the planet, a reality. Find out more below, or invest in the Community Energy Fund now. Deadline: 31 March 2021Target raise: £1.5 million Minimum investment: £100Maximum investment: £100,000Interest rate: 5%…

Good news! We’re reopening the Community Energy Fund to investors next month, giving you the opportunity to support more local energy projects. We have some exciting projects coming up in the pipeline, and we look forward to announcing more detail soon.  In the meantime, we’d love to know that we have your support: make a pledge today…

At the Low Carbon Hub, we work with community groups across Oxfordshire which have a focus on low carbon and sustainability actions. Many of these groups join the Low Carbon Hub and become CIC (Community Interest Company) community shareholders, giving them access to advice, support and grant funding. Over the past few months, we have…

Sustainable Didcot are one of our community group shareholders that work to promote sustainability in the town of Didcot. In response to the Town Council declaring a climate emergency, Sustainable Didcot applied for and received a grant, to help the community to investigate ways to lower energy usage and carbon emissions on the path to zero carbon.…

As part of the Oxford Preservation Trust’s all-new virtual Oxford Open Doors format for 2020, earlier this month the Low Carbon Hub participated by entering a virtual tour of the Sandford Hydroelectric plant in Sandford-on-Thames. We created the Sandford Hydro tour so that anyone can take a look inside the control room and turbine hut at…

Demonstrating the power of locally-owned community energy projects to accelerate the UK’s low-carbon transition Westmill Solar Co-operative, the UK’s first community-owned solar farm, has opened and is accepting applications for funding up to £5,000 from its new Community Grants Scheme. The 5MW solar park has now been operating under community ownership for nearly 8 years.…

The Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel (CoHSAT) is a group of voluntary and campaigning organisations working across Oxfordshire to create attractive, accessible and people-friendly streets. They are working to promote efficient, active, low carbon and sustainable travel, which will reduce traffic, air pollution and noise, and enable healthy and thriving communities. The group…

Join us for webinars on energy efficiency for businesses This autumn Energy Solutions Oxfordshire is holding a series of fortnightly online webinars exploring topics relating to the importance of energy efficiency for businesses – how it can help organisations save money on their energy bills, improve comfort for staff and customers, and do their bit…

Join us for webinars on home retrofit and energy efficiency This autumn Cosy Homes Oxfordshire held a series of fortnightly online webinars exploring topics relating to home retrofit and energy efficiency, giving homeowners a chance to gain a better understanding of the importance of home retrofit. The series is now complete, but all of the…

We’ve been running a series of webinars, discussing the future of energy and our work at the Low Carbon Hub to create an energy system which is good for people and for the planet, in Oxfordshire and beyond. Running large volumes of renewable generation creates new challenges for the energy system. The sun and wind…

This month the UK government’s economic and finance ministry announced that a £2 billion fund providing grants for home energy improvements work would be set up by September 2020, offering homeowners vouchers to undertake retrofit work. There have been limited details of the scheme released, so it’s difficult to know exactly how it will work at this point.…

Join us to discuss the future of energy, in our series of webinars The world may be focused on the immediate threat of coronavirus, but we feel strongly that it’s as important as ever for us to continue with our work to tackle the climate crisis and create a zero carbon energy system that’s good…

We’ve been running a series of webinars, discussing the future of energy and our work at the Low Carbon Hub to create an energy system which is good for people and for the planet, in Oxfordshire and beyond. Project LEO (Local Energy Oxfordshire) is developing and testing new energy services and business models from a…

We’ve started a series of webinars, discussing the future of energy and our work at the Low Carbon Hub to create an energy system which is good for people and for the planet, in Oxfordshire and beyond. A lot of attention is paid to the technology in energy systems, especially the newer ‘smart’ technology. But…

Each year every Community Member of the Low Carbon Hub is eligible to apply for a large grant of up to £5000, to support carbon-cutting activities, and we are usually able to award 2-3 grants per year. This year one of our grant recipients is GreenTEA (Transition Eynsham Area). They applied for a Low Carbon…

Cosy Homes Oxfordshire is a one-stop home retrofit service aiming to improve energy efficiency in our homes to reduce carbon emissions. The programme is now in its second year, with the service fully up and running, so we’re now looking to make improvements to the service and our processes, as well as to develop key…

We’ve started a series of webinars, discussing the future of energy and our work at the Low Carbon Hub to create an energy system which is good for people and for the planet, in Oxfordshire and beyond. For our fourth webinar, Dr Scot Wheeler of Oxford University gave an overview of the smart-grid trials which have already…

How to keep the momentum going on climate change and ensure a green recovery from COVID-19: advice and ideas from low carbon community groups across the UK From the very start of lockdown restrictions in the UK we’ve been impressed and inspired by our Low Carbon Hub CIC Community Groups, who have been adapting to the…

We’ve started a series of webinars, discussing the future of energy and our work at the Low Carbon Hub to create an energy system which is good for people and for the planet, in Oxfordshire and beyond. For our third webinar, Melanie Bryce gave an overview of the first year of Project Local Energy Oxfordshire…

And we’re so grateful for your support We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that yesterday evening (9 June 2020) we met our £1.5 million target for new investment in our Community Energy Fund. A huge thank you to those of you who have invested and put your money to work tackling climate change! This does mean…

Join us for a Community Coffee Morning on Tuesday 16 June at 11am Date: Tuesday 16 June 2020Time: 11am-12pm We’re holding an online Community Coffee Morning at 11am on Tuesday 16 June for low carbon community groups across the UK – and we’d love to see you there. This event forms part of Community Energy…

We’ve started a series of webinars, discussing the future of energy and our work at the Low Carbon Hub to create an energy system which is good for people and for the planet, in Oxfordshire and beyond. We held our second webinar on Tuesday 2 June, titled: Energy system transition – a better local solution.…

We’ve started a series of webinars, discussing the future of energy and our work at the Low Carbon Hub to create an energy system which is good for people and for the planet, in Oxfordshire and beyond. We held our first webinar on Tuesday 26 May, titled: Investing in the Low Carbon Hub’s Community Energy…

Communities in lockdown: how Oxfordshire’s low carbon community groups have been adapting to lockdown and continuing their carbon-cutting activities From the very start of lockdown restrictions in the UK we’ve been impressed and inspired by our Low Carbon Hub CIC Community Groups, who have been adapting to the situation in a myriad of ways and…

Our Low Carbon Hub Board helps to direct our future direction and strategy, as well as ensuring that we’re always best serving the interest of our shareholders – both our Low Carbon Hub IPS Investor Members and our Low Carbon Hub CIC Community Group Members. As part of the Board we have a Communities Director,…

As you may know, the Low Carbon Hub is one of the project partners for Project LEO (Local Energy Oxfordshire) – one of the most ambitious, wide-ranging, innovative and holistic smart network trials ever conducted in the UK. The project is exploring how the UK’s energy system needs to change so that we can achieve…

February 2020 saw us welcome two more schools to the Low Carbon Hub. Langford Village Community Primary School (Bicester) and West Witney Primary School and Nursery (Witney) are the latest schools to benefit from a solar programme supported by Oxfordshire County Council and run by the Low Carbon Hub. Both Langford and West Witney now…

On Tuesday 28 April 2020 the UK’s electricity grid hit a new record for the longest coal-free period since pre-industrial times (previously been held at 18 days), with coal power plants offline from midnight on Friday 10 April. This coal-free period has been due to maximised levels of solar energy generation, due to high levels…

Saving money for the future is one of the best gifts you can give to a child, often helping towards major life goals such as putting down a deposit for a house. If you invest a small amount of money now, over a number of years that could become a substantial pot of money. For…

Active Oxfordshire and Cyclox are partnering up to provide free of charge, refurbished bikes for Oxford’s NHS and social care heroes to ensure they can get to work if they aren’t able (or don’t feel comfortable) to use public transport during COVID-19 lockdown. They are aiming to raise enough funds to provide 100 bikes to…

We hope all our partners, Members, and supporters are currently safe and well in these unprecedented times. When social distancing restrictions went into place in the UK, our immediate priority was to ensure that our staff team were able to continue to work effectively from the safety of their own homes. We also needed to…

Previously, we explored why investing your money in a positive way is a great action to take if you want to do something about climate change. But with so many elements making up climate change (food production, fossil fuel extraction, biodiversity loss, media and communication etc), how do you decide where to make an investment?…

The impact of OxFutures so far: case studies OxFutures is a programme that offers free energy audits to SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in Oxfordshire to identify energy-saving opportunities, which will reduce energy bills and cut carbon emissions. The project also has grants available to part-fund implementation of the measures recommended by the audit, as…

Your feedback is vital in making sure we’re doing as much as we can to meet our mission of creating an energy system that’s good for the planet, and for people. We always want to be improving our work, and how we communicate it with the people who support us, just like you. That’s why…

We often get questions from people who want to get involved with our work on tackling climate change in Oxfordshire. Unfortunately, we aren’t currently set up to take on volunteers at the Low Carbon Hub, so we’re limited in the ways you can be directly involved in our work. However, there are lots of other…

Three more years of OxFutures! We have some extremely exciting news: a three-year extension to the OxFutures programme has been approved, meaning we are now able to continue the programme through to 2023. The extension will be continued by partners, Low Carbon Hub and the Oxford Brookes Environmental Information Exchange team, and means that we…

Investor stories: why invest in the Low Carbon Hub’s Community Energy Fund? We already have over 1,000 Investor Members – people who have chosen to invest their spare money in the Low Carbon Hub and support us in accelerating the transition to a zero carbon energy system. But why have these Members invested in us?…

Hook Norton Community Land Trust is developing a group of affordable and sustainable homes in the village of Hook Norton. The Trust was officially set up in July 2019 and since then they’ve shared information through hosting a webpage on the website of Hook Norton Low Carbon. But, they now have a wealth of information…

The Low Carbon Hub Community Energy Fund is the opportunity for investors to put your money to work delivering local projects which tackle climate change. Each round of the Community Energy Fund supports a different range of projects, so we wanted to outline what the £1.5 million we’re aiming to raise in this round will…

With the growing threat of COVID-19, we’d already made the decision to close our office at the Wood Centre for Innovation. However, we are continuing to work hard to fulfil our mission of a zero carbon energy system which is good for people and for the planet – we’re just doing it from home for…

In Oxford, our buildings are responsible for the largest proportion of our annual carbon emissions – as outlined in the Oxford’s Citizen’s Assembly on Climate Change in September 2019. The Low Carbon Hub is bringing an exciting new service to Oxfordshire, designed to help local enterprises in Oxfordshire to tackle this problem. Small and medium…

Our Community Energy Fund has now re-opened for new investment. With your help we can make an energy system that works for all of us, and for the planet, a reality. Find out more below, or invest in the Community Energy Fund now. Deadline: 10 June 2020Target raise: £1.5 million Minimum investment: £250Maximum investment: £100,000Interest…

We’re all trying to do our bit to tackle the climate crisis, with our time, our choices, and our money. When it comes to how we use our money, we commonly think of how our spending influences climate change, taking actions such as swapping to a renewable energy provider, choosing sustainably sourced fish, or opting…

Note: this post is now closed. The Low Carbon Hub has a vacancy for a Finance Manager to join our expanding team. The Finance Manager will be responsible for overseeing the smooth running of the finance function, ensuring the systems and processes are robust and efficient, as well as being agile and adaptable to cope…

Note: this post is now closed. The Low Carbon Hub have a vacancy for a Energy Services Company (ESCO) Business Development Manager. The ESCO is a new company being set up by the Low Carbon Hub, which will increase the take up of energy efficiency measures by SME businesses in Oxfordshire. The Business Development Manager…

The Low Carbon Hub Community Energy Champions Guide Councils across the country, including Oxford City Council, have now that we’re in a state of climate emergency. It’s time to act. We all have our part to play when it comes to mitigating the effects of climate change. Here at the Low Carbon Hub we’re primarily…

We’re very excited to announce that Project LEO has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Network Awards 2020, within the category of ‘Partnership Initiative of the Year’. The Network Awards celebrate individuals and organisations that have demonstrated exceptional performance in the energy industry, and are shaping the energy system of tomorrow. Winners are announced…

We want to hear your thoughts on ground mount solar in Oxfordshire We are facing a climate emergency, which demands that we transition to zero carbon as soon as possible. Energy plays a huge part in this. How we achieve this is still under debate – but it’s clear that we must: reduce energy demand…

In January 2019 the Oxford City Council officially declared a climate emergency in Oxford. In April they announced that Oxford would hold the UK’s first citizens assembly, to discuss how we should address the climate crisis within Oxford. This citizens assembly was held over two weekends at the Said Business School, the first in September 2019…

As 2019 comes to a close, we wanted to reflect on our Hub highlights of the year – it’s been a big one! Community Energy Fund 2019 We re-opened our Community Energy Fund for 2019, welcoming over 200 new investors and raising a huge £734,900, which is now already supporting community energy – increasing our portfolio…

In February 2019 we announced that Low Carbon Hub were part of a consortium (alongside RetrofitWorksand National Energy Foundation) which had won a bid with the Department for Business, Energy, and Industry Strategy (BEIS) to develop a home retrofit scheme in Oxfordshire. This bid became Cosy Homes Oxfordshire –a home retrofit service aiming to help…

Do you have a background in the building industry? If so, would you like to train and become a Retrofit Coordinator? Cosy Homes Oxfordshire is a partnership project being delivered by Low Carbon Hub, RetrofitWorks and the National Energy Foundation to help homeowners improve the energy efficiency of their homes. It’s a scheme which is new…

Over the past eight years, the Low Carbon Hub has more than trebled in size. At its smallest, our team consisted of 3 members of staff and we have grown to our current number of 16! We have also increased the number of our investor members to over 1000, a number which we hope will…

Home energy consumption accounts for around 30% of total energy used in the UK, and around 20% of our total carbon emissions. According to Ofgem, the average UK home with a medium energy consumption uses 12,000 kWh of gas per year and 3,100 kWh of electricity per year. That represents total carbon emissions of 3,067kg…

Over the past eight years, the Low Carbon Hub has partnered with 29 schools to install 5,647 solar PV panels. Our Solar Schools service offers schools a comprehensive solar installation service to power your schools with community-owned, discounted green electricity. Schools signing up for a free solar rooftop survey can apply for a grant to…

In November 2019 we installed an extension to our existing solar project on the roof of UTC Aerospace Systems CTG in Banbury, Oxfordshire. The background This solar roof array was already our largest rooftop solar install, and thought to be the UK’s largest community-owned rooftop solar array. When first installed, there were 2590 solar pv…

On 17 October a group of Oxford University master’s students visited Sandford Hydro as part of their Energy Systems course. The group received a tour from Harry Orchard, our Operations and Maintenance Assistant, and were shown the inner workings of the electric hydro plant. They went inside the control room where it’s possible to see the overview…

We would like to say a massive thank you to all who came to the ‘Inspired by Communities’ event prior to the Low Carbon Hub Joint AGM on 7 October and who helped to make it such a genuinely inspiring experience. The room at the Town Hall was full with many of our CIC Community…

Cosy Homes Oxfordshire, a home retrofit service, has recently launched and we are seeking to register new building contractors (builders, architects, energy assessors, surveyors, and more) and Retrofit Coordinators to undertake energy efficiency improvement work across Oxfordshire. If you work within the construction industry or building trades, or know someone who does, then encourage them…

For the third year in a row, we are thrilled to report that most people who responded to our annual ‘How are we doing? survey find us to be committed to the creation of a low carbon, locally-owned renewable energy system and trust in our expertise.  Every year we ask our members, supporters, community groups,…

At a meeting of cabinet on 29 May 2019, Oxford City Council agreed to renew their offer of a revolving loan facility of £2.3m to Low Carbon Hub to support the build of more community energy projects in Oxfordshire. The funds will enable the Low Carbon Hub to build more renewable energy projects across the…

We are really excited to announce the launch of Project LEO or ‘Local Energy Oxfordshire’ – a £40m three-year collaborative project that will change the energy system as we know it. The project has been awarded £13.8m from the UK Government Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, managed by Innovate UK, and will be supported by £26m…

We were thrilled to hear that three communities in Oxfordshire offered to combine the funding raised through the carrier bag charge in their local Co-ops and donate it to our Community Benefit Fund.  Many thanks to communities involved in Banbury, Central Oxford and Kidlington & North West Oxfordshire for this donation of just over £9,000.  The…

We are thrilled to announce that the 2019 round of our Community Energy Fund raised £726,650 in investment to support community energy in Oxfordshire. We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who chose to invest in us and put their money to work tackling climate change. In addition to investment raised through…

We are really pleased to announce we have led a winning consortium bid with the Department for Business, Energy and Industry Strategy (BEIS) to lay the foundations for developing a home retrofit scheme in Oxfordshire.  Delivering the project will be the Low Carbon Hub, the National Energy Foundation which is already active in the county providing the…

This time of year is a great opportunity to reflect and so we’ve picked out a few highlights of what we got up to this past year, all possible thanks to the help and support of our investor and community members and partners.  We launched an exciting new opportunity to support community energy through the Community…

The Low Carbon Hub is to be awarded a European Solar Prize 2018 at an award ceremony in Bonn on 17 November 2018.  Every year EUROSOLAR awards the European Solar Prize to role models and pioneers in the field of renewable energy and brings a wide variety of energy transition actors from all parts of…

We’re really pleased to welcome our 28th solar school to the Low Carbon Hub. Longfields Primary and Nursery School in Bicester now have a fully installed array of solar panels that will provide around a third of the school’s energy needs.  Longfields is the latest to join a growing number of schools across Oxfordshire to…

Low Carbon Hub has joined forces with an expert consortium of partners in a new project called The Next Generation, a fund to develop new decentralised, decarbonised, and democratised energy business models.  The Next Generation fund will provide grants of up to £100,000 to ten community energy groups to work on new business models for…

The new generation season for Sandford Hydro is restarting again with the (slow) return of the rains! Clean electricity is now being generated by the hydro on the weir at Sandford, although not yet at full power. It is the large winter output of the hydro that brilliantly complements solar panels, which this summer experienced record…

There are lots of reasons to invest in the Low Carbon Hub. When we ask our investors, they talk about wanting to do their bit to tackle climate change, support local projects and make their money do a social good.  Check out our infographic below where we’ve picked out just ten reasons to invest in…

As you’ve probably noticed, it has been fairly sunny in Oxfordshire recently!  This means that at the moment some of our solar schools who are getting most of their electricity from their solar panels. They are not only using renewable energy and cutting CO2 emissions, but they are also saving money!  Percentage of electricity currently coming from…

The results are in for our 2018 ‘How are we doing?’ survey and they show that people continue to trust in our expertise around local, renewable energy and low carbon. Our respondents also continue to perceive us to be committed to the creation of a low carbon, locally owned renewable energy system. We’re really pleased…

Following a recent election, the community group members of Low Carbon Hub’s CIC have elected a new Community Director to the Board of Directors: Nina Alphey.  Nina is a long-term member of Westmill Solar Co-operative Ltd and has served on its Board since 2016. She was also an active member of low carbon community group…

Large grants We are offering two grants of up to £5,000 for this year’s large grants fund, available to our community group members. These grants are part of the ‘community benefit’ we return to communities.  The year’s theme is energy efficiency. We are interested in applications relating to residential, commercial and public buildings; your project…

2017 has been a busy year with some key milestones and achievements for the Low Carbon Hub, including the completion of the Sandford Hydro project, receiving £1.2m in European Regional Development Funding and producing our first ever Social Impact Report. And there were lots of other exciting bits of news in between.  Take a look…

As well as providing help and advice, Low Carbon Hub also offers financial support to  our community shareholder groups wanting to carry out carbon-cutting activity in their community. Here is a case study of what one group did with a small grant we awarded them. Westmill Sustainable Energy Trust (WeSET) was one of the last community groups to successfully…

This video, courtesy of Stone’s Throw Media, shows an unused roof at UTC Aerospace Systems CTG in Banbury being transformed into a people’s power station. Work with us We want to work with more local businesses to develop ‘people’s power stations’ for community benefit. 

First project for social developer Low Carbon Hub within new FiTs regime Oxford, 21 November 2016 ~ CTG, a Banbury-based site of UTC Aerospace Systems, is now host to the UK’s biggest community-owned rooftop solar array. At 712kW, the 2590 panel project will generate 593,304 kWh of clean electricity every year — enough to power 150…

We asked and you chose a colour for the Archimedes screws at Sandford! Last week we did a poll to ask what colour we should specify for the three Archimedes screws at Sandford Hydro. With 36% of the vote the winner was Water Blue RAL 5021! If you’d like to receive occasional updates just about progress…

We’ve won the world’s leading green energy award! Low Carbon Hub has won the UK Ashden Award for Sustainable Communities. Our clean energy social enterprise is a joint winner with Repowering London. The award ceremony this evening (9th June) will include winners from the UK, Africa, Indonesia, Mauritania, Asia and Central America — a truly global…